Fit City

Cool upcoming fitness events!

By Pamela LeBlanc — 2012-02-10T05:15:33-06:00

A few cool upcoming events of note — a bike ride to benefit refugees and survivors of human trafficking, a launch party for a swimming and running race you can do with your dog, and a short social run on Valentine’s Day to show your love for the trail around Lady Bird Lake.

Read on …

Ride for Refuge — Cyclists can pedal 10 or 38 miles (to Buda and back!) in the Ride for Refuge, a pledge-based bicycle ride to benefit local refugees, asylees and survivors of human trafficking. Rider check-in starts at 10 a.m. Saturday at Fiesta Gardens, 2101 Jesse E. Segovia Street. Ride starts at 11:15 a.m. Lunch, music and a celebration featuring the Austin Bike Zoo will follow. Proceeds benefit Refugee Services of Texas-Austin, which assists people from a number of countries, including Bhutan, Burma, Iraq, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia and Guatemala. Donations will help provide housing, assist in job placement, and other social services that enable independence for refugees. For more information go here http://www.rideforrefuge.org.

Doggie Du launch party— Come learn more about the 2012 Doggie Duathlon Dash, a 200-meter swim followed by a 1-mile run that dogs get to race with their people, at this registration party from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, 221 South Lamar Boulevard. The fourth annual Doggie Du is scheduled for 8 a.m. Sunday, May 27 at Auditorium Shores. Dogs race in one of four divisions, depending on their weight — Underdog, Snoopy, Scooby or Marmaduke. This year’s event includes a 1-mile charity Doggie Dash. For more information go to www.DoggieDuDash.com, find the Doggie Du Dash page on FaceBook or email race director Chris Summers at triguy@wwdb.org.

The World’s Shortest Long Distance Run — Runners, walkers and supporters of the trail around Lady Bird Lake are invited to join in a 1- or 3-mile social run that starts at 12:15 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall Plaza. Gilbert Tuhabonye, head of Gilbert’s Gazelles running program, will lead the run, which will be followed by food and music. No registration is required. The run is free, but participants are encouraged to make a donation to The Trail Foundation, which helps maintain the trail and is raising money to complete the loop with the Riverside Boardwalk. A membership to The Trail Foundation costs $45 ($25 for students/starving artists.) The event is hosted by Snoball.com, an online platform for social giving, as a part of Love Austin Week.

Free app lets you track runners at LiveStrong Austin Marathon

By Pam LeBlanc — 2012-02-09T05:09:02-06:00

If you’re planning to cheer on a runner at this year’s LiveStrong Austin Marathon and Half Marathon, listen up.

A free mobile application will let you track runners in real time, read the event’s Twitter feed for the latest race news, view interactive course maps, search race results and share them via FaceBook.

You can also see the race expo schedule, check a finish line food trailer guide, view a visitor’s guide from austin360.com and stay up to date with the weekend event schedule.

The best part? Runners don’t have to carry a smart phone for someone to track them because the system isn’t GPS based.

Instead, the app uses timing data to show the runner’s approximate location and estimated arrival times at recommended spectator areas along the course.

Fans can also view their runner’s current pace and split times, as well as find themselves on the map to see where they are relative to the runner’s current location.

The mobile app, created by Austin-based Brilliant Solutions Inc. and sponsored by RadioShack, is available as a free download from the Apple App Store and the Android Marketplace.

To see a demo of the tracking system, go here.

(Photo above by Ashley Landis)

Mutt Marathon teams shelter dogs, runners for race

By Pam LeBlanc — 2012-02-08T05:13:08-06:00

The only thing better than running a marathon? Running a marathon with a team of dogs, of course!

On Sunday, teams of runners can provide some much needed exercise for shelter dogs at the same time they knock off their weekend miles during the Austin Pets Alive! Mutt Marathon and Half-Marathon Relay.

Teams of two to five runners will partner with APA! shelter dogs and set off on relay legs adding up to approximately 26.2 miles. The legs will vary in distance from 3 to 5 miles, all on the Lady Bird Lake Trail. Pooch teammates will be selected by lottery, and runners will swap dogs on each loop.

Teams will be timed, but can toodle at Basset Hound pace or move at Greyhound speed, limited only by trail safety, the dogs’ and runners’ ability, and the dogs’ (and runners’) need to sniff things or pee, says organizer Rob Hill, head of Team Spiridon, which is sponsoring the event along with Hill Country Running Co.

Pre-race orientation is at 9 a.m. The marathon and half marathon relays will start at 9:30. (Starts may be staggered if there’s a large turnout.) Entry fee is a donation to Austin Pets Alive! Because of a limited pool of dogs, interested teams should contact Rob Hill at rob@teamspiridon.org to register.

Meanwhile, Hill will run his second annual solo marathon with four APA! dogs, as part of his own fund-raising for Team Spiridon. Those wanting to put in more distance can grab a dog and run a six-legged-leg with him.

To donate to Rob’s Double Dog Dare Ya, go here.

The Mutt Marathon grew out of Austin Pets Alive!’s Jog-A-Dog program, which allows people to check out shelters dog for a jog or run.

“APA!’s really great about getting dogs out several times a day and they have play time, but they really need exercise,” says Rob Hill, head of the Team Spiridon running group and an APA volunteer. “That’s what Jog-a-Dog is set up for.”

To participate in Jog-A-Dog, volunteers attend a 30-minute orientation session at the new APA! facility, formerly the Town Lake Animal Shelter. After completing the orientation, they can take a dog for a run or walk around Lady Bird Lake. Participants get discounts at Hill Country Running Co. and Bettysport.

“What we’re trying to do is get a range of people from walkers to runners, so the dogs are getting exercise on a consistent basis,” Hill says. You can even check out a recumbent tricycle donated by Fire Cracker Dog, attach a dog to it and go for a cruise.

The Jog-A-Dog orientation schedule is posted on the Jog-A-Dog and Austin Pets Alive! pages on Facebook.

Time for a Dreamslide

By Pam LeBlanc — 2012-02-07T05:57:48-06:00

If bikes roll, Dreamslides sashay.

I jumped aboard one of the two-wheeled contraptions, imported from France, yesterday when Miguel Ferguson dropped by the newspaper offices, proud as a papa to show it off.

Ferguson, a 46-year-old professor of public policy in the School of Social Work at the University of Texas, ordered a pair of the ‘Slides last year. Now he zips around town on the scooter-like vehicle, garnering admiring glances — and looks of confusion — from onlookers.

Ferguson bought his Dreamslides because he was tired of pumping gas into a car. “I realized I was part of the problem,” he says.

He considered getting a bike and riding it to work, but says his knees bother him when he pedals. Not so with the Dreamslide, he says, which generates power not by a circular pedal stroke but through short, no-impact running steps.

“I think they’re great. A real alternative to a car,” he says.

He showed me how the neck and handlebars fold down into a compact size, so he can roll or even carry his Dreamslide onto a bus. “It’s Cap Metro friendly,” he says.

Three days a week, he rides from his South Austin home to the UT campus about 7 miles away. He stands, doesn’t sit, as he cruises along. Besides saving him gas money, it’s helped get him in better shape.

I had to try it, so I climbed aboard, placing my feet on the shoe-shaped plates, stepping down and engaging the independent cranks and variable lever arms.

It seemed awkward at first. I kept wanting to sit down, but the Dreamslide has no seat. It felt a little unstable at first, too. That feeling passed as I figured out how to sway with the Dreamslide, shifting my body weight as I slid along.

There are no gears, although Ferguson jokes that it’s got two — the left leg and the right leg. And Ferguson says he avoids big hills when he’s on his Dreamslide.

Unfortunately, that’s not an option for me, so I can’t see this as a daily commuter. Another issue? No place to install a rack, so I could haul all the stuff I need to shuttle back and forth from home to work to pool every day. You’d have to wear a backpack. That’s uncomfortable in the summer heat.

Still, I like the ingenuity of the thing, and I like the commitment to taking another car off the streets.

Ferguson is so enthusiastic about his Dreamslide that he helped persuade Bill Kasson Yamaha on South Congress to start carrying them. They sell for about $1,600.

Riding the rock at Reveille Peak Ranch

By Pam LeBlanc — 2012-02-06T10:58:14-06:00

Turns out you don’t have to travel all the way to Utah to ride slick rock.

I finally made it out to Reveille Peak Ranch over the weekend, to check out the Hill Country’s version of mountain biking on wide open rock.

In a nutshell? Great terrain. Lots of trails to ride. And tons of stuff to challenge expert riders.

Definitely take the trek up to Decision Point, where you can see Lake Buchanan in the distance. Some of the higher trails include stretches across a big open slab of granite. It’s not quite Enchanted Rock, but it’s close.

The rock is grippy, almost like sandpaper. The view is spectacular in all directions.

My mountain bike skills aren’t up to par for a lot of the advanced trails at the ranch, where cyclists and runners can pay a $10 gate fee and roam 62 miles of trail, including 16 miles of hand-cut single track. So when we accidentally wound up on a trail called Upper Loop, I spent as much time getting off and walking my bike up rocks and ledges and between Volkswagen-sized boulders as I did actually planted on my bike seat.

Still, we found plenty to ride. We zipped across wooden bridges, splashed through a few creek crossings and swooshed among oak trees and prickly pears on the twisty, easier trails down below.

It takes about an hour and 15 minutes to get to Reveille Peak Ranch from Austin. For more information go here.

Look for my article about Reveille Peak Ranch on Sunday in the Venture Out section of the paper inside Life & Arts.

The photo at the top shows me (in the center) with my friends Mike and Marcy Stellfox in the photos, who joined me for a chilly but fun day at the park.

Here I am among the boulder-strewn trails!

This last shot? That’s the reward we found at El Rancho mexican restaurant in Burnet. Perfect way to finish the day.

Beyond Bike Lanes meeting scheduled

By PaM LeBlanc — 2012-02-03T05:15:25-06:00

Like the idea of cycling but worried about putting foot to pedal?

I love the sound of the Austin Cycling Association’s Beyond Bike Lanes program.

The series of neighborhood gatherings is designed to spur discussion about personal barriers to cycling and intimidation factors, and provide practical advice on everything from route planning to basic safety practices. (Light up! Ride in a predictable way! Obey traffic laws!)

Hopefully, the meetings will ease the worries of new or potential cyclists, and encourage some to make biking a part of their daily life. (I love riding my bike to work most days.)

The next meeting is scheduled for 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 15 at The Peddler Bike Shop, 5015 Duval Street.

City of Austin Bicycle Maps, educational information, refreshments and free rides on a Fat cruiser will be provided.

RAAM qualifier coming to Central Texas

By Pam LeBlanc — 2012-02-02T05:18:48-06:00

The crazy folks who put on the Race Across America, that coast-to-coast biking jaunt otherwise known as RAAM, have announced a new series of (shorter!) races, and it includes a stop near Austin.

A March 17 Gran Fondo race in Marble Falls will kick off the 2012 RAAM Cycling Challenge. It’s one of nine races slated for across the country. Other stops are Nevada, Oregon, Colorado, Minnesota, Northern California, Ohio, Southern California and Florida.

The event will feature a 120-mile race as the main attraction, plus 30-mile and 60-mile recreational rides and 200-mile and 400-mile races. The 400-mile race is an official qualifying race for the solo category of the annual 3,000-mile Race Across America in June.

“Locations for our Gran Fondo events were chosen for their strong cycling community as well as the opportunity for beautiful views from the bike,” says Rick Boethling, executive director of the RAAM Cycling Challenge.

For more information and to register, go here.

In related news, the award-winning documentary about RAAM, “Bicycle Dreams,” will be shown at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7, at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar. The screening is a benefit for the Austin Cycling Association.

I’ve seen the film, an excruciating look at the sleep deprivation, pain and emotion that the cyclists goe through during the ride.

Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door. Tickets are available online here.

RAAM president Fred Boethling will attend the showing, and local RAAM veteran Susan Farago will speak at the event.

For more information about the film, go here.

Read a story I wrote about Farago and her team of Austin women who finished RAAM last year here.

Upcoming fitness events: Dog yoga, 5K runs and more

By Pam LeBlanc — 2012-02-01T05:05:49-06:00

It’s shaping up to be a busy week, fitness friends. Here are some highlights:

Share the Love Fundraiser — Have you dreamed of a date with 2011 Austin Marathon winner and professional triathlete Desiree Ficker? Check out the Share the Love fund-raiser sponsored by Mauro Pilates, at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 2 at Bar 96 on Rainey Street. Admission is $20 and includes food from Carmelo’s Italian Restaurant, music and a silent auction featuring University of Texas basketball tickets, spa gift certificates, art and that date with Des. Proceeds benefit the Texas Advocacy Project, a non-profit organization that provides free legal assistance to victims of domestic violence, stalking and sexual assault. For more information go here.
Color Run — Is your life too black and white? Color it up at the Color Run ATX, scheduled for 9 a.m. Saturday at Mueller Beach Park. Participants will line up at the start wearing fresh white T-shirts. They’ll dash through “color zones,” where volunteers will slosh them with non-toxic colored powder, also known as elf pixie dust. A post-5K party, featuring more color, live music and local vendors, will follow. Proceeds benefit Habitat for Humanity. For more information, go here.
Canine Center for Training and Behavior Open House — Is your dog a natural athlete? Ever wanted to do yoga with your pooch? Drop by the Saturday open house from 1-6 p.m. Saturday at The Canine Center for Training and Behavior, 6901 Old Bee Caves Road. Admission is $5 and includes food, drink, two raffle tickets, facility tours, a little dog yoga, Canine Good Citizen testing, agility training, air scenting and canine massage. Well-behaved, leashed dogs are welcome. Proceeds benefit Austin Pets Alive. For more information go here.
Run for the Green 5K — Save Muny presents a 5K competitive run through Lions Municipal Golf Course, 2901 Enfield Road, at 8 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 5. Runners will weave through the course’s oak trees, down fairways and around the course’s water features, greens and bunkers. Ben Crenshaw will serve as the official race starter. Entry fee is $20 for adults and $10 for children 12 and younger. (A fun run is also planned.) The University of Texas, which owns the property, is considering closing the course in 2019 and replacing it with retail and apartment development. Proceeds will benefit the effort to stop the closure. Register here.

Free fitness DVDs, books

By Pam LeBlanc — 2012-01-31T05:20:59-06:00

I’ve got a few things to give away. Let me know what you’d like, and why you deserve it. Best answers win.

I’ll pick winners in a week or so.

Up for grabs:

”What Your Doctor May NOT Tell You About Heart Disease,” by Mark C. Houston.

”Working Out Sucks! (And Why It Doesn’t Have To),” by Chuck Runyon.

”Yoga for Cancer Recovery,” a DVD.

”Jari Love’s Get Extremely Ripped!” a DVD. (I’ve got two copies)

”ChiWalking: The Five Mindful Steps for Livelong Health and Energy,” a DVD.

”ChiRunning: A Revolutionary Approach to Effortless, Injury-Free Running,” a DVD.

Reveling in the post 3M Half Marathon high

By Pam LeBlanc — 2012-01-30T10:18:22-06:00

I’m reveling in a little post-half marathon muscle soreness today, but it’s nothing compared with how my legs felt after that 25K trail race at Big Bend National Park two weeks ago.

So. Thoughts on the 3M Half Marathon & Relay, which did some tinkering with its route this year?

1. Yay for no dilly dallying at the start line. We got off right on time.
2. Burnet Road definitely doesn’t rank among the most scenic stretches of roadway in Austin. And that U-turn underneath U.S. Highway 183 was plain funky. This was a lot more industrial than the old cut through Northwest Hills. I miss Mesa Drive!
3. My husband dropped me off at the start line. We approached via Loop 360, and had no problems getting in at all. Plenty of parking. Ditto with the finish, which shifted this year to the Texas State History Museum.
4. Did you see all the discarded jackets and gloves and old T-shirts along the first half of the course? I hope someone collected those and donated them to charity.
5. I loved the two mariachi guys jamming on San Jacinto Boulevard. And thumbs up to the bag piper playing “Chariots of Fire” as we crossed MoPac Boulevard, too. Music is such a motivator.
6. You’ve got to love a downhill course. Fast and furious.
7. I wish volunteers wouldn’t fill the cups of Gatorade and water at the aid stations quite so full. I just want a couple of sips, not a full cup. So much waste!
8. Perfect weather, don’t you think? Start temp in the low 40s, finish not a whole lot warmer. I love running when it’s chilly.
9. I’m pretty sure a man wearing a full banana costume finished ahead of me.
10. I wish I hadn’t stopped to pee so many times. My finish time was 2:01:13. I might have broken the 2 hour mark! Still, I ran faster than I usually do, so I’m happy.
11. Those finishers medals were huge. Seriously. You could warm a tortilla on one.

What did you think of the race — and the new course? Other thoughts? Who did the relay? Did the exchange site along Great Northern Boulevard work for you?

Congratulations on your finish, runners!

Results are posted here.

(That’s me and my neighbor, Chris Bell, after finishing the race. Below is long-time Austin runner Keith Boone making his way along Shoal Creek. And that’s me with my gigantic finisher’s medal, suitable for cooking.)

I am a swimmer

By Pam LeBlanc — 2012-01-27T05:25:56-06:00

If you had to describe yourself in a handful of words, which ones would you choose? I’d include “swimmer” in my list.

Even though I run a few times a week and ride my bike to work, when it gets down to it, swimming is how I define myself. It doesn’t mean I’m particularly fast. It’s just that it’s that big a part of my life.

I love the water. I love the way it presses in all around me, offering up a full-body hug the whole time I work out. Something about that cool resistance brings me alive in a way nothing else does.

And I love the way I feel when I’m done with a hard workout — a delicious sense of fatigue soaking my body and a clear mind.

The water’s forgiving. It doesn’t jolt your knees or give you road rash when you fall. It sparkles when you dip your hand into it; it muffles the sound of the outside world.

Swimming makes you look inside, too. I can sort through problems or flesh out a story I’m working on all in my head, while I’m knocking off laps. And what other workout can you do while fully reclined?

That’s why I swim at least four times a week. I show up at practice before the sun rises, eager for a coach to holler instructions at me. Coaches can push me to swim faster and stronger than I ever thought I could.

Many of my favorite memories involve swimming: Plunging into an ice-cold lake at the top of a mountain in New Zealand, leaping off a dock into Echo Lake near Lake Tahoe, skinny dipping in Lake Austin, chugging up and down the shoreline during camping trips in Michigan, swimming clear around Manhattan Island with a relay team last summer.

Swimming makes me happy.

What words do you use to describe yourself?

FrankenBike is taking over the world! (Plus canoe races and swim clinics)

By Pam LeBlanc — 2012-01-26T05:47:58-06:00

Six thousand runners, including me, have registered for Sunday’s 3M Half Marathon & Marathon Relay on Sunday, but three other cool outdoorsy events are planned for this weekend.

Prefer biking?

Check out the FrankenBabe and FrankenBike event from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at The Parlor, 4301 Guadalupe Street. The event, created by Michelle Moore as a tribute to the lovely ladies of the Austin cycling scene (hey, that includes me!), includes free tune-ups for women, a “drag race” and live music by The Dela Rosas, Sailor’s Wife, Jason Ramsey, IPD and The Lucas Cook Band. For more information go here.

FrankenBike, by the way, is taking over the world. Or at least the state. The monthly free bike swap meets have spread to San Antonio, Corpus Christi, College Station, Houston and more. They’ve even picked up a sponsor — Independence Brewery!

Prefer paddling?

The Texas Winter 100K (also known as TWO), pushes off from the banks of Lady Bird Lake, underneath the Interstate 35 bridge, early Saturday morning and finishes at Fisherman’s Park in Bastrop that evening.

Packet pickup and gear check is from 3-8 p.m. Friday at the Holiday Inn Town Lake. A mandatory pre-race briefing is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday at the hotel. Races begin at 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. Saturday, with an awards ceremony planned for 7 p.m. Saturday at Fisherman’s Park. For more information go here.

Prefer swimming?

Colin’s Hope is hosting a swim clinic from 1-5 p.m. Saturday at Nitro Swimming, 15506 West Highway 71 in Bee Cave. Olympic athletes Brendan Hansen, Kathleen Hersey and Garrett Weber-Gale will provide instruction and share their stories. The clinic is designed for children ages 7 and up. Cost is $35. Proceeds benefit Colin’s Hope, which works to prevent drownings. For more information go here.

Ready for Sunday's big run

By Pam LeBlanc — 2012-01-25T08:59:35-06:00

My quads have recovered from the Big Bend Ultra 25K, so it’s time to run across the city again, as fast as I can.

The weather looks good for Sunday’s 3M Half Marathon & Relay: A low of 38 and high of 60, with sunny skies.

Look for me among the crowd of 6,000 at the start line. I’ll be wearing a tie-dyed shirt and a white cap.

Need last minute details?

Packet pickup is from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at the Norris Conference Center, 2525 West Anderson Lane, behind Northcross Shopping Center. Bring a photo ID.

The race starts on Stonelake Boulevard near Baby Acapulco Restaurant at 6:45 a.m. Sunday. Organizers suggest arriving between 5:45 a.m. and 6:15 a.m.

Buses will shuttle runners from the finish line at the Texas State History Museum to the starting line starting at 8 a.m.

Enjoy your run!

Texas Running Company hosts Diva Night on Wednesday

By Pam LeBlanc — 2012-01-24T13:04:22-06:00

Texas Running Company is hosting a free expo with shoe and bra fittings, chair massages, refreshments and vendors from 7-9 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 25.

“Diva Night” will take place at the store’s downtown location, 1011 W. Fifth Street, Suite 110.

Everyone who attends gets a free goodie bag and entry into a raffle for prizes including shoes, apparel, gift certificates, foam rollers and stretch bands.

Vendors include Nike, CW-X , MyFitList, CryoStudio, iGnite Your Life, Austin BodyWorker, Austin Woman Magazine, Capital OB/GYN Associates of Texas, Austin Family and Sport Chiropractic and My Fit Foods.

Trail bridge over Barton Creek closed for repairs

By Pam LeBlanc — 2012-01-24T10:03:19-06:00

Heads up, trail users.

The bike and pedestrian bridge over Barton Creek, on the south side of the hike and bike trail around Lady Bird Lake, is closed between 7:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. until Feb. 6 for repairs.

This morning, workers were removing the heavy wooden timbers that pave the bridge, which spans the creek just west of Lamar Boulevard. (I love the sound those boards make when I pedal over them!)

They’ll replace the old boards with new ones.

In the meantime, hikers, runners, dog walkers, stroller pushers, cyclists and everyone else who uses the trail can head about 20 yards south, crossing Barton Creek via the Barton Springs Boulevard sidewalk.

That’s a narrow sidewalk, so pay attention!

(Top photo shows bridge from the west side, bottom shows it from the east side.)

Corrects to note the detour is via the sidewalk on Barton Springs Boulevard, not Riverside Drive.

Austin Parks and Recreation Department spokesman Victor Ovalle says it will cost $1,860 in materials for the project.

Runners: Please light up!

By Pam LeBlanc — 2012-01-23T05:21:30-06:00

The other morning as I was biking to swim practice, I came upon a string of runners on Shoal Creek Boulevard.

They were running north in the quasi bike and parking lane.

Not a single one of the half dozen or so runners was wearing a light or had reflective material on their clothing. Most were wearing dark colors.

Thank goodness my husband yelled at me, “See the runners?”

I didn’t.

I’ve got a recurring nightmare that involves me either hitting a cyclist or pedestrian with my car or crashing into someone with my bike. (I’ve also got one that involves me getting hit, and that’s why I wear a fluorescent vest and tons of lights when I bike.)

I know lots of Austin runners are preparing for the upcoming marathon. You’re out early or late, logging the miles after dark.

Please make yourself visible!

Here are a few websites to get you started:

Brooks makes a great line of gear called Nightlights. Check it out here. The picture above shows me wearing the Nightlights vest that I bike in.

A new product called Knucklelights is designed to be worn on runners’ hands. Pretty cool.

REI and local running stores carry clip-on lights that can be attached to caps or shirts.

Free boot camps scheduled

By Pam LeBlanc — 2012-01-20T13:13:09-06:00

For the next month, you can help out a great Austin non-profit at the same time you whip your muscles into shape.

Empowered Fitness and The Settlement Home for Children are teaming up to offer free boot camps. The workouts are at 10 a.m. Saturday mornings between Jan. 21 and Feb. 25, in the soccer fields by the lake and playground at Mueller Park in Austin.

Andrea Mendoza, owner and head trainer at Empowered Fitness, will lead the 30-minute boot camps. Pilates instructor and stretching specialist Colleen McCoy will lead the cool-down.

Participants don’t have to pay a fee, but are encouraged to make a donation to The Settlement Home, which helps abused and neglected children and their families.

The non-profit organization needs donations of scrapbook supplies, stuffed animals, blank journals, headphones, batteries, disposable cameras, art supplies, crayons, coloring books, jewelry making kits, cookbooks for children, board games, exercise DVDs, sports balls, nail polish and beauty and haircare products. Monetary donations are also needed.

For more information, email empowered.fitness@yahoo.com. For more information about Settlement Home for Children, go here.

I'm headed to the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo in Denver

By Pam LeBlanc — 2012-01-20T05:56:05-06:00

I’ve polished my cowboy boots, washed my best jeans and uncrumpled my straw hat.

Today I’m heading to Denver, where I’ll be attending the National Western Stock Show, Rodeo and Horse Show.

Yeehaw!

Organizers call it the Super Bowl of livestock shows. A quick glance at the schedule shows I’m in for a bison sale, stock dog trials, a miniature heifer sale, a yak halter show and a top hog performance.

“I personally am interested in hog performance,” my sister wrote when I forwarded her a copy of the schedule. “What do hogs do?”

Good question. And I’m going to find out.

“Also the draft horse and yaks … Don’t let me go to the ewe lamb sale, or we’ll be selling our lawn mower in the spring.”

Then there’s the rodeo itself, which features everything from bareback riding and steer wrestling to bull riding and barrel racing.

It’s a great excuse to pull out my cowboy duds and sport some Texas ‘tude. I want to find out how Colorado rodeos compare to Texas ones.

The Denver event has been running since 1906. On its 100th anniversary in 2006, attendance reached 726,972 over the 16-day show. The grand champion steer sold for $75,000.

Look for an article in the travel section of the Statesman in coming weeks. Anyone ever experienced this?

Behind the scenes at 3M Half Marathon packet stuffing

By Pam LeBlanc — 2012-01-19T05:44:57-06:00

Visiting 3M during packet stuffing for upcoming 3M Half Marathon & Relay last week was sort of like stopping by Santa’s workshop.

Big cartons of tape, Post-It notes, knee braces and lint rollers.

Industrious employees, carefully loading items into small string backpacks.

One young volunteer, lamenting the fact that he’s an elf and not a dentist.

OK, I made that last part up. But I did get a happy, magical feeling when I swept through the room where employee volunteers were busy at work last week, loading 3M products into bags for runners who have registered for the Jan. 29 race.

“They’re the best bags of any of the runs they’ve ever done, that’s what people tell me,” electrical engineer Bill Taylor said as he dropped a protein cookie into his final, 1,500th bag of the day.

(That’s Taylor, comfortably resting in a bin of Post-It Notes, in the photo above.)

Taylor has helped stuff bags for 18 years and counting. He used to run the race, too, but traded the excitement of crossing the finish line for the thrill of tossing blister pads and flexible sanding pads into the packets, named “Best Schwag” by Runner’s World in January 2008.

“I’m not sure which is harder, spending two hours here or running the race,” said Jonathan Haggar, an engineer in the company’s manufacturing group, as he wrapped up a two-hour shift.

Each bag contains eight products, plus literature and a protein cookie. Not every bag is the same.

Eager to get your hands on your stash? The race has sold out, but if you’re already registered, you can get your bag during packet pickup, scheduled for 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27 and 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28 at the Norris Conference Center, 2525 West Anderson Lane‚ Suite 365 - behind Northcross Shopping Center.

For more information about the run, go here.

Everclear to perform at Austin10/20 race

By Pam LeBlanc — 2012-01-18T12:40:14-06:00

Does music motivate you to run faster?

Check out the Austin10/20, a 10-mile race making its Austin debut on April 15. Race organizers announced today that Everclear will perform at the finish line of the event, which will also feature 20 local bands performing on stages every half mile along the race course.

Everclear, an Oregon-based band known for hits that include “Wonderful” and “Father of Mine,” will perform at 10:45 a.m., as the feature act on the main stage at the finish line party. The concert is free for all runners, spectators and volunteers.

The full musical lineup will be posted here.

The race starts and finishes at The Domain shopping center. The course is flat and fast, organizers say.

Registration is capped at 10,000 runners and features $23,000 in guaranteed prize money and $20,000 in bonuses. Organizers say they expect the event to sell out.

To sign up for the run, go here.

Georgetown to host bike races in May

By Pam LeBlanc — 2012-01-17T15:05:23-06:00

Big news, bike racing fans.

Come May, bicyclists will zip around downtown Georgetown during the Georgetown Grand Cycling Race in the Streets.

Eight hundred cyclists, including professional and Olympic cyclists from around the country, and 5,000 spectators are expected for the races on May 19-20.

The headline event, a criterium race staged by Holland Racing on a USA Cycling-sanctioned course, will double as the state criterium championship weekend for the Texas Bicycle Racing Association. A criterium is a closed-circuit race on a 1 or 2-mile course.

The 1-mile downtown course will include the courthouse square and eight high-speed turns in a double-loop circuit.

Among the professional cyclists expected to compete are David Wenger, current U.S. elite criterium champion, on Super Squadra Team; Heath Blackgrove, former Olympian from New Zealand, on Elbowz Yamaha Cycling Team; Brant Speed, current Texas state elite time trial champion; Jen McRae, 2008 U.S. pro women’s national criterium champion; Stefan Rothe from Germany, current Texas state road race champion; and Ian Dille, currently ranked fifth in the U.S. in criterium Cat 1, on Super Squadra Team.

Also planned are a non-competitive ride with routes of varying distances for recreational riders on May 19.

Holland Racing, the company that puts on the weekly Driveway Series, Hammerfest, and the Tour of Austin, will organize the event. For more information go here.

We tamed the Big Bend Ultra trail race!

By Pam LeBlanc — 2012-01-17T11:08:36-06:00

My quads feel like a rubber band overstretched to the point of snapping and a couple of big red scratches adorn my rump from a close encounter with a yucca plant during a desert pee break, but I can’t wipe the grin off my face.

My first trail race, the 25K version of the Big Bend Ultra, goes down in history as my favorite foot race ever.

Really, what could be better than running through the flat lands of Big Bend National Park?

The race, a fund-raiser for The Friends of Big Bend National Park, took place Sunday. The course followed Glenn Springs Road through the southeastern portion of the sprawling West Texas park. (There’s also a 10K and 50K version of the race.)

My friend Marcy Stellfox (that’s her on the left with me, at top) joined me for the run. Early Sunday, my husband dropped us off at the start line. Temperatures were in the 40s — perfect for the roughly 16-mile run.

After a grinding 3-mile uphill along a gravel road, the course more or less smoothed out. Trotting along the double-track, we took in sweeping vistas all the way to the mountains across the Rio Grande.

The desert might look stark and desolate from a roaring car, but when you’re running through it, you notice the variety. We wove our way through land bristling with prickly pear, creosote and ocotillo, admiring canyons with rock layers in all shades of ochre, maroon and gray.

I had worried in the days leading up to the race that I hadn’t done enough off-road training. Most of my running had been on paved roads, with only a few trail runs.

In the end, I was fine. We started slow, and kept a conservative pace. I felt strong all the way to the finish.

Although it’s off-road, the terrain wasn’t terribly technical. Instead of zipping along twisty single-track trails, we ran along roads suitable for four-wheel drive vehicles. Parts of the route were rocky, but much was nearly as smooth as the trail around Lady Bird Lake.

Even so, by the end of the run I was happy to climb into a shuttle bus for the 45-minute ride to Rio Grande Village campground, where organizers set up a post-race meal of grilled chicken, jambalaya, sweet potatoes and green beans.

Today, I’m hobbling at a slower-than-normal pace.

But I’m happy. And I’ve already made plans to enter next year’s Big Bend Ultra.

Free fitness books, DVDs

By Pam LeBlanc — 2012-01-16T06:15:42-06:00

I’ve got a new collection of fitness books and DVDs to give away.

If you’re interested, post here, letting me know which one you’d like and why you deserve it.

Best answers win.

Here’s what I’ve got:

”Working Out Sucks (And Why It Doesn’t Have To)” by Chuck Runyon, co-founder of Anytime Fitness.

”Framework for the Shoulder, A 6-Step Plan for Preventing Injury and Ending Pain,” by Nicholas A. DiNubile with Bruce Scali.
”Christine Felstead’s Yoga For Runners,” a fitness DVD.
”Mud, Sweat and Tears,” the autobiography by the star of the TV show “Man vs. Wild,” Bear Grylls.
”WillPower & Grace, Mile High,” a fitness DVD by WillPower Productions.
”Kimberly Fowler’s Yoga + Weights,” a fitness DVD.
”Fat to Skinny Fast and Easy!” a weight-loss guide by Doug Varrieur.

Chihuahuan Desert Dirt Fest set for Feb. 16-18

By Pam LeBlanc — 2012-01-13T04:57:56-06:00

A little over a year ago, I spent four days under the big skies of West Texas, shredding the skin on my legs and blasting my quad muscles on a four-day bike ride through Big Bend Ranch State Park.

That trip made one thing obviously clear: Big Bend Ranch boasts some seriously awesome mountain bike terrain, and there’s no better camping sites than the ones perched atop mesas bristling with cactus in the wildest state park in all the land.

Tarantulas? Bring ‘em on. Coyotes? Howl all you like.

I loved “The Ride to the Other Side of Nowhere,” and everything that went with it, from gathering around a campfire each evening to snuggling into my sleeping bag under all those stars every night.

I’m not the only one, either. The International Mountain Biking Association designated the Fresno-Sauceda Loop Trail through the park, which we overlapped on our trip, one of only two “ epic” mountain bike rides in the Southwest.

Want to experience it for yourself? On Feb. 16, 17 and 18, the park will host “The Chihuahuan Desert Dirt Fest,” with riding opportunities for all levels of cyclists.

Staff from Desert Sports Outfitters, members of the Big Bend Trails Alliance and Big Bend Ranch State Park rangers will lead rides through the park each day. Riders can also ride any of the trails without guides at their own pace.

Trust me, you’ll be whooping with glee as you spin up and down gullies, past old mining structures and alongside cliffs where big horn sheep now live. Pick from challenging single-track or flat double-track ranch roads.

Park entry fees will be waived during the three-day festival.

To pre-register for Dirt Fest, go to www.bikereg.com. For more information about the event, call Desert Sports toll-free at (888) 989-6900, or go here.

To make reservations to stay at Big Bend Ranch State Park’s bunkhouse for $35 per person per night, or to reserve one of three rooms at the original ranch residence for $100 per room, call (512) 389-8919. For information about having bags shuttled at the park, email park superintendent Barrett Durst at barrett.durst@tpwd.state.tx.us.

For more information about Big Bend Ranch State Park, go here.

Missing: Black, one-piece swimsuit

By Pam LeBlanc — 2012-01-12T05:52:25-06:00

Anybody find a black, one-piece swimsuit somewhere between Rollingwood Pool and the Austin American-Statesman?

I lost mine.

I ride my bike to swim practice three or four mornings a week. It’s a constant struggle to pack everything into the removable trunk that snaps onto the rack on the back of my commuter bike. It’s especially tough when it’s cold and I’ve got bulky clothes, plus a towel, swim gear, lunch and other assorted necessities stuffed in there.

Yesterday, it didn’t all fit.

I figured I could shove my swimsuit (practically new!) into the cupholder on the end of the trunk. I pulled the drawstring around the cupholder tight and didn’t think about it as I made my way down Rollingwood Drive, onto Barton Springs Road and hooked up with the hike and bike trail just past Zilker Park.

Lo and behold, when I arrived at work, my swimsuit had gone missing.

I’m just glad it happened after, and not before, practice.

If you spot it, let me know.

In the meantime, as a friend says, Leslie will probably show up wearing it.